What’s Love Got To Do With It? – Toronto 2022

What’s Love Got To Do With It? is a romantic comedy about the different ways people find love while living in a contemporary society. You’ve seen one rom-com, you’ve seen them all. What makes this one feel different is through its approach to the subject. Jemima Khan’s script does a few things here: it tackles documentary filmmaking, dating via apps, and finding a spouse through assisted marriage. But at the end of the day, are…

"What’s Love Got To Do With It? – Toronto 2022"

The Dig: Carey Mulligan Is Phenomenal

The Dig is one of those pre-World War II films that is going to end up going under the radar but Carey Mulligan is phenomenal. Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) is a widow living on a Sutton Hoo, Suffolk farm.  This farm just happens to be the home of a few burial mounds.  Could the mounds have a treasure buried inside?  This is what Edith suspects and she hires amateur archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to…

"The Dig: Carey Mulligan Is Phenomenal"

Rebecca: Netflix Adaptation Stays True To The Book

Rebecca is the first major American adaptation of Dame Daphne du Maurier’s novel since the Alfred Hitchcock film in 1940. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” – the second Mrs. de Winter says as the film opens with Clint Mansell’s haunting score.  It’s one of the most famous opening lines in text or cinema.  Not including this line would be criminal. This is a contemporary update but in spite of that, the film…

"Rebecca: Netflix Adaptation Stays True To The Book"

Chicago Critics 2019: Yesterday

Danny Boyle’s Yesterday may be inspired by a world without The Beatles but unfortunately, the film loses its focus somewhere on the long and winding road. Imagine a world where The Beatles never came into existence.  This is what screenwriter Richard Curtis asks in a crowd-pleasing screenplay.  Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) was about to give up his dreams as a singer-songwriter.  Best friend Ellie (Lily James) shows support for Jack but it isn’t enough.  For…

"Chicago Critics 2019: Yesterday"

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again Is A Fun Time

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! takes us back to the Greek island of Kalokairi for a fun musical journey through time between past and present. If there is one thing that Ol Parker learned from the first film, it’s a little bit of Pierce Brosnan singing goes a long way.  Brosnan was heavily criticized for his singing in the first film and rightfully so.  This time around, something is different.  Brosnan’s singing is more or…

"Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again Is A Fun Time"

Tribeca 2018: Little Woods

Tessa Thompson and Lily James go above and beyond as a pair of sisters in Nia DaCosta’s feature debut, Little Woods. We’re introduced to Ollie (Tessa Thompson), a woman struggling in Little Woods, North Dakota.  It’s a small town with so many people suffering due to the economy.  Ollie is looking to escape the city and move where she can make a better life for herself.  Gone are the days where Ollie would take prescription…

"Tribeca 2018: Little Woods"

FIRST LOOK: Darkest Hour

Focus Features has released the first photo and trailer for Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour.  The World War 2 thriller stars Gary Oldman as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Directed by Joe Wright from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, the film stars Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, and Ben Mendelsohn. Synopsis: A thrilling and inspiring true story begins on the eve of World War II as, within days of becoming…

"FIRST LOOK: Darkest Hour"

Baby Driver: Does the Edgar Wright film need a sequel?

In a recent podcast interview, writer-director Edgar Wright mentioned that the studio approached him about making a sequel to Baby Driver. The film was produced on a low-to-mid budget of $34 million and honestly, it doesn’t even need a sequel.  It’s good enough standing on its own. “The studio have asked me to think about writing a sequel and it is one of the ones that I might do a sequel to because I think…

"Baby Driver: Does the Edgar Wright film need a sequel?"

Baby Driver: Music drives Edgar Wright’s Action Thriller

Baby Driver is one of the best films of the first half of 2017 and director Edgar Wright uses music to the film’s advantage. Written and directed by Edgar Wright, Baby Driver stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, with Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx. My initial thought as I watched the movie last Wednesday was that Baby Driver utilizes the music at a level that the Guardians of the Galaxy…

"Baby Driver: Music drives Edgar Wright’s Action Thriller"